Plan and Purpose

Our lives as Christians bear witness to God’s character in all the work we do— not only by the way we do it but by the work itself. Our work is both creational and anticipatory. It reflects our original commission to take the raw materials given by God, add human creativity and community, and create new things. It also reflects the work we will do in eternity in a redeemed creation. A coffee shop is a good example of how we can think about human vocation and creativity. A coffee shop begins with a natural resource, the coffee bean, and adds layer upon layer of human creativity. We harvest, roast, grind, and brew this bean until it is something very different. But we don’t just enjoy this hot beverage by ourselves. Coffee shops are built—with wood and nails and purposeful decor—to create spaces where this amazing creation can be sold, community can be fostered, and other humans can be fueled for their own creative work (Schiess, The Liturgy of Politics, 64).